


From Outcast to Brother

by Luv2write



Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Army, Emotional Hurt, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-31
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2020-04-05 07:16:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,020
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19043758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luv2write/pseuds/Luv2write
Summary: An alternate beginning about how Mac and Jack met in the army, and how they became brothers.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> Hey Y'all!  
> So here is the new series I promised! It's totally fiction, and since I don't know a lot about army ranks and that sort of thing, I'm just going to leave that out.  
> It's my first time writing a fic like this, so please leave a comment and let me know what you think! :)

Mac let out a sigh, his gaze traveling across the compound to where his new overwatch, Jack Dalton, was joking around with some of his buddies.  
Mac was the outcast, the loner, in the camp. At only 20 years old, he was the armies youngest, but brightest EOD tech. His first overwatch had been killed, and although he didn't know the man very well, it had deeply saddened him.  
Everyone one thought he was strange, nobody wanted to hang out with the nerdy bomb tech who knew so much that is was probably bad for him. He was even bullied by a couple of the other EOD techs, mostly because they were jealous of the extra attention he occasionally got from superiors for his special skills. Jack either didn't know, or he didnt care. The man spent most of his free time with the other guys like him, and Mac was usually ignored. Not that he could blame Jack, how would it look to be friends with the camps outcast?  
Mac turned to head into the mess hall, even though he wasn't really hungry, he needed to keep his energy levels up and his mind sharp.  
He'd just pushed open the tent flap when two other EOD techs, Sam and Martin, came up behind him. One of them, he wasn't sure which one, gave him a shove inside. Causing him to trip and almost land on the closest table. He managed to catch himself on the edge of the table, narrowly missing someone's full plate of food. The men at the table just glared at him and mumbled something about him being just as clumsy as he was stupid.  
Mac just kept his head down and after carefully making his way through the food line, he took his usual spot at a small table in the back.  
But as he now stared at his food, he didn't think it looked very appetizing. In fact, the smell was starting to make him nauseous. So he quickly made his way to throw away what little food he had gotten. Jack was coming in just as he was leaving, and they bumped shoulders as he tried to squeeze past.  
The man glanced at him with a frown. "Watch it, Macgyver, you almost made me spill my drink."  
He indicated the bottle he was holding in the arm Mac had knocked on accident.  
"Sorry." Mac mumbled, his eyes flashing to his overwatches face, then back to the ground.  
The man didn't seem to mad, for which he was grateful, in fact he almost seemed a bit amused, so Mac felt himself relaxing. He had just started working with Jack, so he wasn't really sure how the man reacted to certain things.  
"Man, Dalton." One of the soldiers with Jack, Mac couldn't remember his name, spoke up. "I forgot your the slow bomb nerds new overwatch. I feel bad for you now!"  
Mac could feel his face start heating up, feeling both mad and embarrassed.  
Jack gave him a curious look. "Slow, huh?"  
"Not slow, just careful." Mac replied defensively.  
"Oh, right." The other soldier laughed. "I forgot." He turned to Jack. "Why else do you think he needs a new overwatch? His last one was killed."  
That statement made Mac stiffen, his blue eyes cold as he met both Jack's and the other man's eyes.  
"That had nothing to do with me." Mac growled, his voice low. "I wasn't even there when it happened."  
"Whatever you say, kid." The soldier responded with a shrug, already getting bored of the discussion. "Lets go eat now, Jack."  
"Right, I'll join you in a minute." Jack responded, waiting till the other man walked off before turning back to Mac. "What was he talking about?"  
Mac kept his expression guarded.  
"Why don't you just ask him?" He snapped.  
Jack shrugged. "Its okay, Macgyver, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to."  
Mac was taken back slightly at that, maybe Jack wasn't quite all that he seemed.  
"Did you already eat?" Jack asked, abruptly changing the topic.  
Mac thought back to his food now sitting in the trash can.  
"Yeah." He replied. "Just finished."  
"Okay." Jack replied with a hint of a smile. "I'll see you later then."  
Mac just nodded, watching his overwatch walk off.  
After a moment he turned and made his way out the door, his plan originally before he'd been stopped.  
He was almost to his barracks when he heard footsteps behind him. Turning his head slightly he could make out the form of Sam, which meant Martin was probably there as well. He stifled a groan, then stopped and turned to face them. His body was tense, and his expression wary.  
Both men had annoying smiles, more like sneers, on their faces.  
"Where are you going, Angus?" Sam asked, in an annoyingly high voice.  
"To my bunk." Mac replied in exasperation. "Where else?"  
"We just can't be to careful with our precious little EOD tech." Martin said sarcastically. "We wouldn't want you to get lost or something."  
"I'm just fine." Mac answered, not liking the looks the two were giving him. "Go find someone else to bother."  
The two men stepped a little closer, forcing Mac to take a step back so that he was not within reaching dustance of them. It was dark out, and they were making him very uneasy.  
"But your so much fun to bother, Angus." Martin said. "The poor little bomb nerd. No one cares about you, you know."  
Mac swallowed hard, trying not to give away how much their words bothered him.  
They'd just taken another step forward when they all heard voices, a couple more guys heading to the barracks.  
"We'll see you later, Angus." Sam said with smile.  
"Yes." Martin agreed. "See you around."  
It wasn't until after the two had left and the other guys had went inside, giving him funny looks before they did, that Mac collapsed against the side of the building. He took a couple of deep breathes to calm his beating heart. Those two just creeped him out, that was for sure. He sighed, pushing himself up straight before entering the building. How he wished he had someone he could trust, then maybe he wouldn't feel so alone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter, Y'all! I hope you enjoy it! Please leave a comment and let me know what you think! :)

Jack strode out to where the humvees are parked, his mind wandering to his new EOD tech, Angus Macgyver. Seeing him last night, and listening to the other guys talk about him, made him wonder. He felt kind of bad about not sticking up for the kid, but he'd only met him less than a week ago and hadn't even started working with him yet, so how would he know if what they were saying was true or not? Macgyver may look so young and naive, but his eyes told a different story. When he looked into Macgyver's blue eyes, he could practically see all the emotions in them, his were eyes that told of things he had seen or done, but would never speak about.  
Jack reached his designated vehicle for the day, started it up, and pulled out and to the side to wait for Macgyver.  
After about 5 minutes, he began to tap the steering wheel impatiently. Where was the kid? Maybe he really was the slowest EOD around.  
Finally the opposite door opened and Macgyver scrambled in, breathing a little heavily.  
Jack glanced over at him, then frowned at the bruise on Macgyvers jaw. He didn't remember seeing that yesterday.  
"What happened to your face?" He asked bluntly.  
Macgvyer jolted in surprise, his hand coming up to touch his face.  
"What? Oh, that, I, umm, well, I tripped leaving the barracks." Macgyver stammered out a reply. "Guess I hit my jaw a little harder then I thought."  
Jack wasn't quite convinced of the kids sincerity, but then again, why would he lie about it?  
"Guess you must really be pretty clumsy." Jack said with a smile.  
Macgyver gave him a funny look. "Who told you that?"  
"Oh, just some of the other guys from your barracks." He replied with a shrug. "They said you seem to always come in with bruises and scrapes from some accident or another."  
"Oh." Was the only reply he got from Macgyver.  
The kid shifted in his seat and focusing his attention out his window. Not that there was much to see, just a bunch of desert.  
Jack could practically see the tension in the vehicle. Macgyver seemed to have trust issues, and was obviously not in a very talkative mood, so he decided to break the tension by telling a story. He just started rambling on about when he lived back in Texas, and about some of the rodeos he entered. Macgyver didn't even try to say much, but he could tell the kid was listening, and by the time they had reached their destination they were both laughing over some of the stunts Jack had pulled.  
"I gotta say, Jack." Macgyver told him as they exited the humvee. "You certainly were wild in your younger days!"  
Jack let out another loud laugh. "You got that right, kid!"  
There was a few moments of silence before Macgyver spoke again.  
"It's Mac." Was all he said.  
Jack looked at Macgyver in confusion. "What?"  
"You can call me Mac." Macgyver said with a small smile. "It's easier that way."  
"Alright then." He grinned. "Mac it is."  
With a nod in his direction Mac started off to start looking, and Jack went to find a good position to keep an eye on his new EOD tech. Because he took his job very seriously, and didn't want anything happening to the kid on his watch.

It was late and already dark by the time him and Mac got back to the base. Mac had found a group if IED's that he had to defuse, and it had taken longer then both men wanted. So they were both sweaty, hungry, and tired, by the time they parked the humvee and made their way to the mess hall.  
Mac was following behind him, like he wanted to stay with Jack, but wasn't sure he was welcome.  
Jack could only guess that the kid had been abandoned a lot when he was younger, which would explain the trust issues.  
As they passed through the doorway a couple of soldiers called a greeting to him, which he acknowledged with a nod and smile. He suddenly felt Mac fall against him, knocking him forward a bit.  
He glanced back with a concerned frown. "You okay there, Mac?"  
"Yeah, sorry about that, Jack." Mac mumbled, staring at the ground as he steadied himself.  
Jack could see a couple of guys behind Mac, grinning and laughing about something like a bunch of hyenas. Did they have something to do with it, he wondered? He shook his head and continued forward, Mac following so close behind that the kid kept almost bumping him everytime he stopped. Why was Mac acting like this, he wondered?  
Soon he was seated at his usual spot, and glancing around, realized Mac had went to his usual spot in the corner. The way Mac was sitting, Jack could swear it looked like the kid was afraid. But of what? The kid was brave, he saw that today while disarming IED's, probably had the steadiest hands Jack had ever seen. And Jack had worked with a couple of EOD techs before.  
"So, Dalton." One of the guys, Hadley, leaned forward. "How'd you like working with the bomb nerd today? How much trouble did he cause you?"  
"None." He replied, a little sharply.  
Hadley seemed surprised at his tone. "Really? None at all?"  
"Kid's an awesome tech." Jack told him with a frown. "Probably saved many lives today."  
Hadley frowned. "Whatever, the dude's weird. He was dubbed the camp outcast."  
Jack felt anger boiling in his chest. "Does he know people call him that?"  
Hadley shrugged. "Probably, but I've not called him that, so I'm not sure."  
Jack rolled his eyes. "Seriously, he's one of us. Why would people treat him like that?"  
"I already said why. He's strange." Hadley replied.  
"Well, I disagree with that." Jack stated out pointedly. "See you later."  
With that he grabbed his tray, left a slightly confused Hadley staring after him, and dropped his tray on the table in front of Mac, causing the younger man to jump and stare at him in surprise. He could see that the kids food had barely been touched and he looked as exhausted as Jack did, if not more so.  
"This seat taken?" He asked, as if he couldn't already tell.  
Mac gave him a small smile, his eyes full of surprise, and a bit of something else. Trust maybe?  
"No, it's not." Mac replied, using his hand to gesture at the table. "Sit wherever you want."  
"Thank, Mac." He said, as he began digging into his food. "Companies so much better over here."  
At that comment Mac definitely looked surprised, but he quickly covered that look with a small laugh.  
"Yeah, sure it is." Mac said with a roll of his eyes.  
"I'm serious, dude." Jack told him firmly, his eyes boring into Mac's and he saw the kid swallow hard.  
"Thanks, Jack." Mac whispered.  
Jack just smiled, he didn't care what everyone else said, he could tell there was something special about this kid.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Y'all!  
> Here is chapter 3! Sorry it's not as long as they usually are! I hope you still enjoy it!  
> Please read and let me know what you think!! :)

Mac and Jack had been working together for over 3 weeks now, and Mac had to admit, he'd really come to trust Jack. He wasn't one to trust easily, but there was just something about his overwatch that always made him feel safe. Plus he noticed no one bothered him when he was with the ex-delta, the man intimidated a lot of people, but not Mac.  
Mac could finally feel himself relaxing, and some of the other soldiers and techs actually started talking to him, and he began to feel less and less like an outcast. It was a great feeling, he decided, and he definitely didn't miss the way things were before Jack became his overwatch. Just listening to Jack drone on about random things while he was working, seemed to help keep him calm. Mac felt more relaxed now when working then he did even with his first overwatch. Not that he slacked off, he was still extra careful, he just felt more confident having someone he trusted watching his back. He should have known it wouldn't last…

Mac walked slowly around the compound, Jack was in a mandatory meeting with some of the other overwatches, so he was stuck at the base for the day. He couldn't really complain though, he'd been able to get some much needed rest this morning. But after that he'd been unofficially kicked out of his barracks when the other guys got tired of his constant pacing. He could understood that, it was probably driving them crazy. But he couldn't help it, the last few weeks had been so busy that he felt like he should be doing something.   
So here he was, just walking around, trying to do equations in his head to keep his mind busy.  
His musings were suddenly interupted when he felt something impact his back and he felt himself falling forward, only this time there was nothing to catch himself on. He fell hard onto the ground, managing to catch himself with his hands so his face at least didn't hit the ground.  
As he scrambled to get up he could hear laughter behind him, and making it to his feet, he turned to meet the gazes of Sam and Martin.  
"Hey, Angus." Sam said with a sneer. "Where's your new watchdog?"  
Mac narrowed his eyes in anger. "Jack is not my watchdog, and he's busy doing something at this moment."  
"Poor Angus, your all alone then." Martin said in a patronizing voice. "The man's probably glad to get a break from you."  
"Yes, the way you follow him around like some lost little puppy is probably so annoying." Sam added. "If I was him I'd be glad to get away for a while."  
He couldn't help but roll his eyes. "Well, your not Jack, and if I annoy you that much why do you keep coming and bothering me?"  
"Because you think your so much better then everyone else." Sam snarled angrily. "And we feel you should be taken down a peg or two. There is nothing special about you, Angus."  
He recoiled at the venom in Sam's voice. "I've never said anything like that!" He protested. "And I can't help what you overhear other people say."  
Yes, well." Martin said as he and Sam moved closer to Mac, forcing him to back up. "I think a little lesson is just what you need."   
Before he could say anything Sam swung at him. He jerked his head out of the way in time to miss that, blow, only to be hit on the other side by Martin. Which he was unable to avoid, due to how they had him cornered.  
He hit the base fence behind him, hard. As he shook his head to clear it, he quickly looked around for help, but unfortunately he had picked one of the least populated areas to do his pacing, which he was now regreting very much. While he had done some training in hand to hand combat, he didn't have the years of experience that Sam and Martin had. Plus it was two against one, and those two knew how to fight dirty.  
He managed to get in a few good blows, but it wasn't long before they got him on the ground and just began pummeling him with kicks.   
He tried to fight back, he really did, but he just was no match for the bigger and stronger EOD's. He could feel himself fading, losing conscious.   
Where was Jack? He wondered weakly.   
Technically he knew where the man was, but he needed him now. He wanted the man who had become more then just an overwatch, who was now his friend and protector.   
When one of the guys hit a particular spot on his side, he felt something give and couldn't help but cry out in pain. Above him he heard the soldiers laughing at his pain, and he wondered why people had to be so cruel and take pleasure in causing others pain.   
As the pain took him over, and he slowly faded into unconscious, he thought he heard the sound of someone frantically calling his name…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Macgyver show, I'm just a fan!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again Y'all!  
> So here is the last chapter! I figured this seemed like a good place to end the story. :) But I do plan to write another army fic with Mac and Jack.  
> So as always, I hope you enjoy and please leave a comment!

Jack let out a sigh of relief as he exited the building. He'd been in a meeting for over 5 hours, and was ready to stretch his legs and get out of that stuffy, crowded room. He decided a brisk walk down to the barracks would be good, but secretly he just wanted to check on Mac. He was afraid he was getting very attached to the kid. He knew he probably shouldn't, since once their tours were up they would be going in seperate ways, but he couldn't help it. There was just something about the kid, maybe it was that lonely and sad look he almost always seemed to have in his eyes, or possibly his selfless nature, he'd already saved Jacks life after he had stepped unknowingly on an IED. Or maybe it was both. Either way, Jack tended to worry about Mac even when they weren't on the job. He had a nagging suspicion that some of the other guys were bothering Mac. The kid had never come right out and said it, but he'd noticed how Mac had started following him around.  
He entered his barracks with a grin on his face, expecting Mac to be either sleeping or taking something apart, but as his eyes scanned the room he could feel his smile slipping.  
There was a few guys playing cards at a table, and even more resting or writing letters home, but no blue eyed bomb tech.  
He made his way over to the guy sitting on the bunk next to his and Mac's.  
"Hey, you seen Mac lately, man?" He asked.  
The guy grinned at him. "Hey, Dalton." He replied. "Yeah, the kid was pacing a path into the floor, so the guys over there told him to take it outside."  
Jack grunted, figures the kid would be restless. "Thanks."  
"No problem." The soldier replied as he went back to his letter.  
Jack sighed as he headed back outside into the heat.  
Why could nothing ever be easy? He wondered.  
After checking for Mac in all of the kids favorite places, he began to get worried. Where could he have gone off to?  
After asking around, he finally figured out that someone had seen Mac, then later two other EOD techs, heading to the small lot behind some of the barracks. But what would Mac be doing back there with the other two? He knew Mac wasn't friends with any of the other EOD techs.   
His worry spiking, he hurried back there, even calling for Mac once.  
He turned the corner and stopped dead in his tracks, his worry turning into full blown anger.   
Two EOD techs had a bloody and unconscious Mac on the ground, and were proceeding to kick him.  
When Mac let out a low moan, Jack was immediately shaken out of his surprise and charged forward.  
Jack went full delta on the two techs. Who did they think they were? Beating up on his kid like that, it just wasn't accaptable.  
The two probably didn't even know what hit them, he had them both knocked out on the ground in under a minute.   
He then fell to his knees next to Mac. The poor kid looked awful, and Jack was almost afraid to touch him for fear of hurting him even more.  
"Mac?" He questioned, gently brushing the hair off of his kid's forehead.  
That thought made him pause. His kid? Since when had he started considering Mac his kid? But then again, Jack supposed that's why he felt so protective of the kid, Mac was like his kid now.  
"Mac?" He asked again. "I need you to wake up. You hear me, Mac?"  
He continued to push the hair off of Mac's forhead, smiling gently when he saw Mac's blue eyes slowly open. Mac seemed confused for a moment, his gaze roving around him before Jack saw them settle on his face.  
"Jack?" The kid questioned, his voice tight. "What happened?"  
"Two guys decided to use you as a punching bag." He told him quietly. "Or maybe I should say a kicking bag."  
Mac's eyes widened as he remembered. "Sam and Martin. Where are they?"   
He tried to sit up, his eyes wide with fear. But stopped about halfway up with a groan, his arms comimg up to curl protectively around his ribs.  
Jack grabbed him by the shoulders and slowly helped him sit up the rest of the way.  
"Easy there, Mac." He cautioned. "Its okay, I took care of them."  
Mac's eyes seemed to widen even more when he saw the two techs on the ground.  
"They are still alive, right?" Mac asked him a little hesitantly.  
Jack snorted. "Yeah, they are." He replied. "Although they won't be if they try something like that ever again. Nobody hurts you and gets away with it, not on my watch."  
Mac gave him a grateful yet surprised smile. "Thank you, Jack." Mac told him gratefully.  
"No problem, Mac." He said as he carefully helped Mac to his feet.  
The kid was a bit insteady, so Jack slung Mac's arm over his shoulder and took some of the kids weight.  
"I've got you, Mac." He promised as he helped Mac make his way slowly to the infirmary.  
And he meant it, he wasn't letting this kid go, they were partners for as long as Mac would put up with him. And judging by the look in Mac's eyes, he figured that to be a very long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Macgyver show, I'm just a big fan!

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the Macgyver show, I'm just a fan!


End file.
